The Battalion - November 7, 2018 by The Battalion

CRUZING TO THE CAPITOL Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

At time of publication, 97 percent of Texas precincts had reported results totaling 8,268,369 votes. 4.2 million of those were cast for Cruz.

Republican incumbent reelected in high-profile race for U.S. Senate seat By Luke Henkhaus @luke_henkhaus Texas Republican Ted Cruz is keeping his seat in the U.S. Senate, but Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke did not make it easy for him. The Senate race was one of the closest Texas has seen in decades, with Cruz receiving roughly 51 percent of the vote compared to O’Rourke’s 48 percent. Over 8 million Texans came out to vote this year, putting turnout for the 2018 midterms far above that of the 2010 and 2014 elections, neither of which surpassed 5 million. Kirby Goidel, professor of political communication and director of Texas A&M’s public policy research institute, said the 3.9 million votes racked up by O’Rourke rep-

resent a serious accomplishment for a Texas Democrat in a statewide non-presidential race. Goidel compared O’Rourke’s total to the 1.8 million votes cast for Wendy Davis in the 2014 governor race. “That’s a pretty remarkable thing for a candidate to do, and Cruz had to respond to it, so it made it one of the most exciting races in the country and the high rate of participation is a good thing,” Goidel said. In Brazos County, Cruz claimed victory by a wider margin, taking 55.8 percent of the county’s 63,998 votes. In Texas A&M’s Memorial Student Center, the Election Day voting line stretched all the way back the Flag Room, and some students waited for as long as two hours to cast their ballots. Mechanical engineering senior Ryan Zimmerman said choosing between Cruz and O’Rourke was no easy task, but after

researching both candidates’ platforms, he ultimately sided with the incumbent. “I appreciate Ted

Megan Cusick — THE BATTALION

Madeleine Albright was the first secretary of state under Bill Clinton.

Foreign policy becomes bipartisan First female secretary of state speaks at Texas A&M Tuesday By Jordan Burnham @RJordanBurnham The Bush school overflowed with members of the community on Election Day as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright spoke on the vitality of bipartisanship in foreign affairs. Albright was the first female Secretary of State in 1997 under Bill Clinton, becoming the highest ranking woman in the history of the United States government at the time. Albright was the first secretary of state to visit North Korea and has since been recognized for her landmark contributions to international peace. During Tuesday’s lecture, Albright shared her insight on bipartisanship, the challenges presented by a globalized world and the ways democracy can overcome these issues. Though Albright served as a Democrat throughout her time in the state department, she emphasized the importance of reaching across the aisle, especially during a polarized midterm election. “Whether our chosen candidates win or lose, we must all find ways to work together

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Photos by Cassie Stricker — THE BATTALION

Admon Gilder, TJ Starks, Chennedy Carter and Aaliyah Wilson are returning to Texas A&M for the 2018-2019 men’s and women’s basketball season.

STARTING THE SEASON RIGHT Men’s basketball goes into game with clear plans and new strategies By Brian Bass @BrianBass4 It’s basketball time in Aggieland once again. Texas A&M looks to recreate last year’s magical run to the Sweet 16 with a new set of faces on the court. The Aggies have lost a bulk of their roster due to early departures for the NBA or graduation and will face a hefty challenge trying to replace them. Guards TJ Starks and Admon Gilder will be expected to increase their production from last season as they are two of seven players to return with at least 12 starts under their belts. Several other familiar faces from last year will be stepping into starting roles this season. Sophomore guard Jay Jay Chandler and forward Savion Flagg are expected to make significant contributions to the offense, having improved significantly over the off-season. Starks, who was named a preseason AllSEC guard earlier this week, is looking to nearly double his numbers from last year. Starks said he will be making every effort to score as much as possible this season, though he trusts his teammates will have his back. “I believe in our team, and I know that if I come up short as far as points, I know

I can dish out assists and I can count on my teammates to come through with the win,” Starks said. Head coach Billy Kennedy said the team will be taking a different approach in how it operates this season. “We’re utilizing the three-point line a little bit differently and probably more so than what we’ve done in the past,” Kennedy said. After the loss of Tyler Davis and Robert Williams, A&M will not be able to resort to the paint very often. Instead, they will have to be able to operate from the perimeter, shoot more threes and draw fouls by driving into the paint. Kennedy has built a roster full of talented guards with significant depth. Baylor University and Trinity Valley Community College transfer Wendell Mitchell will be one of the key additions to this roster as he looks to add valuable experience to the Aggie offense. Transfer sophomore Brandon Mahan is another guard who is expected to make a difference early in the season for A&M. “He’s really a good shooter,” Kennedy said. “He’s catching on defensively, which is usually the biggest transition for a first-year guy at this level.” After spending his freshman season at Chipola College, Mahan is expected to be a perimeter player, taking a lot of threes and M. BASKETBALL ON PG. 3

Blair prepares for season with new additions to Aggie women’s roster By Angel Franco @angelmadison_ For the first time in Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair’s 38-year career, he will be starting five sophomores. Despite this being a first for him, Blair said he believes in the capacity of his young team. “I think they’ve earned it,” Blair said. Seven and a half months after their 90-84 loss to No. 1 Notre Dame, the Aggies return to the court to face Rice on Wednesday night. Blair said the road ahead for the women’s program will be a hard one. “We’re a work in progress right now,” Blair said. “We’re going to start five sophomores — I’ve never done that before — but that sets up well for the future.” With Khaalia Hillsman no longer on the roster after graduating from the program, Blair said one of the biggest tasks he has this season is finding someone to replace Hillsman in five spot — also known as the center or post position. “We’re trying to find some scoring at the post position,” Blair said. “That [was] bothering me, but then I went and looked at some stats from 2008. We almost made the final four with my five player averaging 4.6 points,

so there are other ways to score.” However, Blair said he isn’t too worried about finding the right person immediately. “It’s sort of like a toss salad right now,” Blair said. “I don’t know what we’re going to start with, but I’m going to keep adding. … That’s what you have to do here. You have to find out what is going to work in November and December. That way, by January, you know what your eight-player rotation is all about.” At the end of last season, Danni Williams and Anriel Howard announced their intentions to transfer out of the program. Williams went to Texas, and Howard went to Mississippi State. Leading up to the home opener, Blair didn’t want to talk about Williams or Howard, saying the only players that matter to him are the 14 on his roster. “I will always keep up with Anriel and Danni through what they have accomplished, but right now it’s time to worry about this year’s team,” Blair said. Despite having four transfer players on his roster, Blair said he believes students transferring from one program to another is hurting college athletics. “I am not a vindictive person, but transfers around the country in every sport is what is hurting all sports,” Blair said. “We believe in signing a kid for four years, not one. We W. BASKETBALL ON PG. 3